Barnes & Noble - 4/5 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Feb

[Deal Alert] Hot! Nook Color On Sale For $200 ($50 Off) From Barnes & Noble's eBay Account

Posted by Will Shanklin in Deals, NOOKcolor (Encore), Tips & Tutorials

As more high-end Android tablets hit the market, the prices can be pretty overwhelming (I'm talking to you, Motorola XOOM). While it doesn't sport cutting-edge specs, the 7" Barnes & Noble Nook Color has been taken on as a pet project by many in the development community (even running a mostly stable port of the Honeycomb SDK preview), and can be turned into a solid $250 tablet. Now, if you act quickly, you can change that to a $200 tablet when you snatch it up from the manufacturer's eBay account.

Here's how to get in on the action:

Navigate to the correct listing by barnesandnobleinc
Checkout with promo code CBARNESDD
Enjoy your $200 (with free shipping) Android tablet!

Feb

The Media Worships The iPad - But For How Much Longer?

Posted by Will Shanklin in Editorials, NOOKcolor (Encore), XOOM

You've seen it: a new Android tablet is featured on some mainstream media's program or website, and you know it's coming, but you still can't help but clench your sphincter muscles just a little when you hear it...

Will it be an iPad killer?

Samsung's attempt to compete with the iPad...

The latest inferior and insignificant non-Apple offering that we're forced to cover...

Can't they see that this is like describing Colin Firth as a wanna-be Tom Cruise? After a while, you begin to wonder if these journalists have actually used an Android tablet. Do they even know what it is they're missing?

Feb

Thumb Keyboard Is An Epic Win For Tablet Typing [Hands-On]

Posted by Will Shanklin in App Reviews, Applications, Galaxy Tab, NOOKcolor (Encore), Reviews, Tips & Tutorials, XOOM

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

If you caught our review of Thumb Keyboard last month, you'll know the gist of this clever keyboard app that aims to make two-thumbed typing a breeze. It's a novel (and potentially very useful) tool for a phone, but with recent updates that have accentuated the tablet layouts, this has now become my keyboard of choice on large tablet screens, and is a potential game-changer in the new slate arena.

On phones, trace keyboards like Swype and SlideIt are extremely hard to beat in the speed department (world texting records seem to be broken on a regular basis with Swype), but on the wider tablet screen, tracing suddenly becomes much less convenient.

Dec

Heads Up: Barnes & Noble NOOKcolor Update Rolling Out, May Reset Rooted Devices

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Barnes & Noble, Development, News, NOOKcolor (Encore)

Device updates that break root are fairly common - in fact, I'd go so far as to say that the majority of updates do so. What's a bit less common, though, is an update that resets your device because you're rooted. The device in question here is the NOOKcolor, and unfortunately it looks like that's exactly what's happening.

Before I dive into the details, I think it's important to note that I doubt that even as much as manufacturers and carriers dislike when people root their device, it's pretty far over the line for them to remotely wipe the devices of people who have done so.

Dec

Rooted Nook Colors Now Market-Capable, Terms And Conditions Apply

Posted by Brian O'Toole in Apps/Games, Development, News, NOOKcolor (Encore)

The rooting of Barnes & Noble's delicious IPS-wielding e-reader took place a couple of weeks ago, rendering the device more of a tablet than a single-use reading terminal in one gloriously justifying move. As with most other tablets, however, it lacked one thing: proper Google app support with access to the Android market. Of course, with the main rooting hurdle already surmounted, it was only a matter of time before these problems were dealt with, too. Some folks in the know over at NookDevs.com have put together a meticulous tutorial to turn that 7" slab into all you've ever wanted it to be.

Dec

Video Of Barnes & Noble NOOKcolor Running Android 2.2.1 AOSP Surfaces, But Details Are Scarce

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Development, News, NOOKcolor (Encore)

Details are stupidly scarce on this right now - there isn't even an XDA thread, and Google's not showing any hits either - but YouTube user jacememes has uploaded a video of a NOOKcolor running an Android 2.2.1 AOSP (Android open source project) build. That's certainly a fast turnaround time, given that the device was just rooted a few days ago.

The video was shot with an Android phone, so it's not the best quality, but it's more than enough to show what it needs to. Unfortunately, it's fairly short - 1:41 - and about 40 seconds of that time is just the NC booting up, meaning that in the following 1:01, it's slow because it's still loading everything.

Nov

Barnes And Noble NOOKcolor Rooted; Sub-$300 Android Tablet That Doesn't Suck Is Now Available

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Barnes & Noble, Development, News, NOOKcolor (Encore)

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is the only Android-based tablet worth considering. But is it? That question is now up in the air since Barnes and Noble's $250 NOOKcolor, an Android-based e-reader, has been rooted. While before the deed was done it was just that - an e-reader - it's now taken on a life of its own, a life complete with Angry Birds:

The procedure is still a bit complicated (as you'll see for yourself below), but it's definitely a start - until z4Root, SuperOneClick, or some other one-click solution becomes available, I've got a feeling this is your best bet.

Oct

Barnes & Noble Announces NOOKcolor: 7" IPS Goodness In A $250 Package

Posted by Brian O'Toole in Barnes & Noble, Devices By Manufacturer, News, Nook, NOOKcolor (Encore)

Building on the strength of the growing e-Reader market, bookstore giant Barnes & Noble has just formally unveiled its latest device: the NOOKcolor. Rumoured for some time now, but never offering much in the way of solid details, the covers are now off this full-color touchscreen device.

Hard internal specs are still few and far between, but in the case of an e-Reader one thing matters most: the screen. Thankfully B&N has seen fit to equip the NOOKcolor with a high resolution 1024x600 7" IPS display. This "In-Plane Switching" technology, often found in professional computer monitors, trumps the S-LCD of Samsung's Galaxy Tab in terms of color fidelity and viewing angles, and has proven to be a success on the iPad.

Jun

$149 Wi-Fi Nook Now On Sale, 3G Model Drops To $199, Kindle Follows Suit By Undercutting To $189

Posted by John Thompson in Barnes & Noble, Devices By Manufacturer, News, Nook

Barnes & Noble has announced a new, Wi-Fi only, version of the Nook today, offering a lower introductory price point next to the more expensive 3G model.

Available to buy from today, the new Wi-Fi model is available for just $149, over $100 cheaper than the original price of the 3G model. For that price, you’re still getting what’s essentially the same Nook as before, just without the 3G internet connection. In an attempt to rub salt into Amazon’s wounds, Barnes & Noble has also reduced the price of the 3G model to just $199.

Barnes & Noble's new price for NOOK 3G marks the market's first under-$200 dedicated full-featured eBook reader that offers both free 3G wireless and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Apr

B&N Nook Now Available From Best Buy Stores and BestBuy.com

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Barnes & Noble, News, Nook

Barnes & Nobles Nook - one of the better eReaders out there and a direct competitor to Amazon's Kindle lineup, is now available for order on Bestbuy.com and 1,070 brick and mortar Best Buy stores.

Previously, you could only order the Nook from Barnes & Nobles stores and website.

The price still sits at $259 but those Nook seekers who are Best Buy Rewards members or don't have B&N stores locally will find this announcement helpful.

Note that Store Pickup is not available if you order online yet, so head over to your local store if you want to play around with the Nook and hold it in your hands before making the final decision.